Mayhem Main Event at NBA All-Star Weekend

AOL Sports ^ | February 21, 2007 | Jason Whitlock

[PPHSFL]

LAS VEGAS -- NBA All-Star Weekend in Vegas was an unmitigated failure, and any thoughts of taking the extravaganza to New Orleans in 2008 are total lunacy.

[StoneWall Brigade]

Word up Yo LOL

[Mr. Jeeves]

Funny how they keep saying there were few cops around - normally the Strip is pretty well policed (accusations are often made that it is the only part of Vegas that is). Wonder if the Department didn't want any Rodney King incidents with the cream of the hip-hop world in town and sent down the "hands-off" order? Dumb decision if they did - may have cost the city any chance at an NBA team.

[Seruzawa]

Well, the Utah Jazz ain't exactly in big favor either. I'm reluctant to turn my back on them but I can't support the NBA as a whole any more. It's just too corrupt. I watch some games on TV but no more paying to go to games for me any more.

Not until all players with felony convictions are expelled.

[Richard Kimball]

I've been reading several articles about professional sports, and had a conversation with a former NFL player that won a Super Bowl and now tries to motivate players on a losing NFL team. I've reached a conclusion.

One of the articles was pointing out that NFL players no longer fear the coach, as he has little cutting or keeping authority. If a player gets a large signing bonus, the team can't afford to cut him because they take the salary cap hit all in one year. Winning is seen as being for "the man", so the goal is not to win a championship, but to get the big dollars and party. A few years ago some player whose name I forget commented that winning a championship was less important to him than being an all star, because being an all star put more dollars in his pocket. It caused quite a stir back then, but I think that the "team" concept is completely gone from the NBA and is seriously in jeopardy in the NFL. However, the teams that play like teams are ultimately more successful. The Colts and Patriots have been very successful, but don't have a large number of stars. Chad Johnson with the Bengals gets far more publicity with his silly touchdown dances and goof talk than Marvin Harrison does by being one of the best receivers in the league every year.

In the NBA, look at the original "Dream Team" and compare them to the guys now: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin Clyde Drexler, John Stockton and Christian Laettner. Not only were each of those guys great, but they were all team players.

[somemoreequalthanothers]

Not until all players with felony convictions are expelled.

That's a good idea for all of pro sports. I can't think of any possible reason to not make it so.

[Seruzawa]

Good points. It's pretty obvious that NBA "teams" that are just vehicles for one arrogant superstar like Iverson or Bryant won't win against true teams. Apparently those guys put being the main man on the team ahead of winning. This is why a team of decent team players like the Jazz can win games against these superstars. Sure, Iverson might make 50 points a game. But a championship? Highly unlikely.

[Richard Kimball]

I think the prejudice against the Jazz, Suns, Dbacks, etc., has to do with being in the Rocky Mountain time zone and also because previously there hasn't been as much television audience as that area has previously been more sparsely populated. Few of the commentators live in that time zone, and there aren't any national media outlets there. That's changing, for better or worse. Also, with the exception of the DBacks a few years ago, no titles, although the titles don't seem to have made the Spurs any more popular.

I gave up on the NBA a few years ago when I was watching a playoff game. The Lakers were playing someone, I don't even remember who, and didn't care who won the game. This was the Shaq/Kobe pre-rape era, and the Lakers were the preferred team for the NBA finals. It was a close game late, and the referees threw the game to the Lakers so blatently that I never watched another NBA game. I'm not boycotting them, it's just so obvious that the games are fixed with specific players and teams getting preferential treatment that all I do is get angry, so they're off my radar screen.

[LdSentinal]

Since ESPN airs the NBA, why would they talk negatively about it?

[NonValueAdded]

I wouldn't expect them to talk negatively about it but I also wouldn't expect outright lies. Of course, I am only remembering the gist of the report and perhaps it was technically correct in that the players probably behaved.

[decal]

Tony Bruno was all over this article on his show this morning, and he made the point that only a black columnist could have written this and got away with it.

The NBA is beyond help now, and the NFL will be so within a decade.

[gcruse]

from the article:

"the NBA's business partner ESPN didn't have time to dirty its hands and report on the carnage."

[Trajan88]

Concur.

Here's one of the pillars of the downfall: Stewart Scott.

[Christian4Bush]

bump 7